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2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

- (No Model.) 1

H. W. POTTER.

APPLIANGB FOR BRANDING SHEEP oRfoTHBR ANIMALS.

Patented Oct. 13, 1896.

17a/Jafar (No Model.) E I I f2 Sheets-Sheet 2.A

H. W. POTTER. APPLIANGE FOR BRANDING SHEEP 0R OTHER ANIMALS.

No. 569,515. Patented Oct. 13,' 1896.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRYVILLIAM POTTER, OF VELLINGTON, NEV ZEALAND, ASSIGNOR OF ONEJIALF TO SIMEON FRANKEL, OF SYDNEY, NEW SOUTH VALES.

APPLIANCE FOR BRANDING SHEEP OR OTHER ANIMALS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 569,515, dated October 13, 1896.

Application iiled Tune 11,1896. Serial No. 595,197. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom, it may concer/t: underneath said fixed handle and parallel Be it known that I, HENRY XVILLIAM POT- thereto vis an operating-handle BQ which is TER, architect, a subject of the Queen of Great arranged to slide vertically in the slots a2 in Britain, residing at No. 14 Brandon Street, said guide-bars, a curved or other spring Z) 5 Vellington, in the British Colony of New being arranged between said handles BB' in 55 Zealand, but temporarily residing at No. 29 order to keep the operating-handle B nor- IIunter Street, Sydney, in the British Colony mally in its lowest position. Each of the proof New South XVales, have invented an Imjecting ends b of this said operating-handle proved Appliance for Marking or Branding B is connected by a short pitman C to a bellio Live Sheep or other Animals, of which the crank lever O, Figs. 1, 2, and 3, fulcrumed, 6o

following' is a specification. as shown at c2, upon the frame A of the ap- The object of this invention is to provide pliance. The opposite end of each of these an appliance for marking or branding live bell-crank levers Ois connected toasupportsheep and other animals, whereby brands or ing-arm or traveling lever D, upon the free 15 marks may be applied to the head of the aniend of which either a iire or dye brand E is 65 mal either by means of heat or dye in such a secured, while the opposite end of said arm manner as to render the brands or marks easor traveling lever is provided with a pin d, ily distinguishable and when so desired praclitted with an antifriction-roller (Z, working tically inefiaceable, also to provide means in a peculiarly-shaped cam-slot d2, cut. for

2o whereby three distinct brands or marks may the purpose in a bracket d3, (see Fig. 4,) se- 7o be simultaneously made on the face of the cured upon the frame A. This cam-slot (Z2 is animal. curved outwardly and downwardly from its It consists in an appliance comprising a upper end and at or about the center of its stop or rest to regulate its position on the anilength it turns around at right angles to the 2 5 mals head, as well as a pair of brands concurved part, and thence extends horizontally 75 nected to a vertically-sliding operating-hantoward the center of the appliance. The efdle, whereby said brands can be moved tofeet of these cam-slots d2, in combination with ward each other at will, provision being made the bell-crank levers O, is to impart a somefor the addition of a third brand, if desired, what peculiar motion to the brands E, the

3o as well as for the substitution of one kind or iirst part of the motion of the bell-crank le- 8o character of brand for another, as maybe revers being to raise said brands until their quired, and a suitable spring being provided suliporting-arms or traveling levers D are to return the various parts of the appliance horizontal and the faces of said brands E are to their normal positions after each operation. opposite to each other, while the second part 3 5 Vhen the appliance lis to be used as a iireof the motion is to move said brands horizon- 8 5 brand, a pair of suitable burners are provided tally toward each other until they come in for heating the brands. contact with the side of the animals face.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, In order to allow the brands E to adjust Figure 1 is a front, and Fig. 2 a side, elevation themselves to variations in the shape of the 4o oi' my improved appliance for branding live heads of diiferent animals, they are connectgo sheep and other animals, but with the screens ed to the ends of the traveling levers D by around the burners removed. Figs. 3 to 9 are ball-and-socket joints@ e', (see Figs. l, 2, and various detail views of different parts of the 5,) which while supporting them allow sufiappliance. cient play for that purpose.

45 In its ordinary form the invention consists It will be evident that various kinds of 95 of a frame A, having downwardly-projecting brands may be fitted and used upon these bars a at each end and two upwardly-pro traveling levers and that if desired a blank,

jecting slotted guide-bars a. such as is illustrated in Fig. 6, may be iitted A iixed handle B is fitted between the upon one side when it is desired to brand only 5o per ends of these slotted guide-bars a', while on the one side. 10o

When it is required to brand the animal with dye and not with lire, the brands may be made, as illustrated in Fig. 7, of small hollow vessels iilled with cotton-wool or other absorbent material soaked in any of the wellknown branding-dyes, such, for instance, as a mixture of nitrate of silver and pero-nid of hydrogen or citrate of iron and ferrocyanid of potassium, the character to be impressed being eut in the face of the brand; but when a nre-brand is required they are made, as illustrated in Fig. S, of small blocks of copper or other metal that will retain the heat and have the desired character raised upon them in the ordinary manner. iVith these latter brands some means for heating them must be provided. For this purpose a burner and a vessel to contain the requisite fuel Vis mounted upon the lower ends of the downwardly-projecting bars d of the framework of the appliance, so that the flames will play upwardly upon the under side of the brand. Methylated spirit may be used as the fuel, and the burner may be such as is used in ordinary spirit stoves, or kerosene may be burned, preferably in what is commonly known as the Primus burner, as illustrated at F in Figs. l and 2, a small air-pump G being preferably fitted in the end of the oil-reservoir II to maintain the requisite pressure on the surface of the fuel. Screens or shields I may be arranged around the backs of the burners F to shelter them from drafts.

Referring to Fig. 5, which illustrates one of the ballandsocket joints used for connecting the brands to their supporting-arms or traveling levers D, e represents one of the sockets upon said arms, 'and e the ball fitting same and to which the brand is secured. A set-screw e2 passes through said socket and engages in 4one or other of four recesses e3 in the ball ef, according to the angle or direction 'of 'the brand or mark required.

vInorder to adjust the position of the appliance on the animals head, a slotted bracket J 'extends forwardly and horizontally from the frame A, and upon this bracket is clamped a nose-piece or regulator, which can be adjusted according to the varying sizes of the head of the animals to be branded and to the position where the brands are to be impress-ed. This regulator may take the form of a muzzle K (dotted vin Fig. 2) to be tted over the animals nose, or it may be simply a bridgepiece or crutch K to rest upon the animals nose, or, if desired, both may be employed.

If it is desired to impress a third brand on the animal, the bridge-piece or crutch K just referred vto may be made hollow, as indicated in Fig. 9, aud be filled with an absorbent maferial soakedin a suitable dye and have a number or other mark cut or stamped'out of its under face to indicate, for inst-ance, the year when the branding was elfected.

If desired, a broad strap may be fitted across the top of the handle in order to assist in supporting the weight of the appliance, and provision is made for protecting the hand of the operator from the heat of the burners when the fire-brands are used.

The manner of using the hereinbefore-described appliance for branding sheep and other live animals is as follows: It is fitted over the head of the animal so that the bridge piece or crutch K'rests upon yits nose and the brands E hang downward on each side of its face. A The two handles B and B are then grasped by the hand of the operator, so as to draw the latter up toward the former against the resistance of the spring h, the effect being to turn the bell-crank levers O upon their fulcrums c2 and cause the pins d to travel down the curved part ofthe cam-slot d2 until the brands have been raised into position opposite to each other. The continued movement of the bellcrank levers Cwill carry the arms D, together with the brands mounted upon them, inward toward each other until the brands come in contact with the animals face and thus effect the branding, the balland-socket joints ee allowing them to adjust themselves to any inequalities on the animals face, as hereinbefore described. After the operation the brands fall or return automatically into position over the burners F to be heated for the next operation. Then it is required to brand only one side of thefanimals face, a blank, such as is shown in Fig. 6, is fitted instead of the opposite brand, in order to effect the necessary resistance.

W'ith the above-described appli-ance a large number of sheep or other live animals may be quickly branded with one, two, or three brands simultaneously, whereas the present processes only admit of one brand at a time being applied. Moreover,with this invention there is less danger of re to sheds, dsc., than there is with ordinary heated iron brands, and the system of branding dees not injure the fleece, while the brands or marks being on the animals face cannot be destroyed or removed without detection, and their position on the face enables them 'to be more readily discernible than when applied elsewhere, as, for instance, on the body or wool of the animal.

I-Iaving now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim isl. In an appliance for marking or branding live sheep and other animals, a brand upon the end of an arm or lever (suchas D) in combination with a bracket having a cam-slot (such as CZ); an operating bell-crank lever (such as C) and a pitlnan connecting said lever to an operating-handle substantially as and for the purposes speciii'ed.

V2. In an appliance for marking or branding live sheep and other animals, a brand upon the end of an ar-m or lever (such as D) having a pin at its end fitted with an 'antifriction roller Working in a cam-groove of approximately the shape herein described, said arm or lever being connected to an operatinghandle substantially as and for the purposes specied.

3. In an appliance for marking or branding live sheep and other animals, a pair of brands (such as E) adapted to be pressed against each side of the animals face in combination with a pair of burners mounted upon the frame of the appliance, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

el. In an appliance for marking or branding live sheep and other animals, the combination of a frame provided with a xed handle and a movable handle, and a spring to retain the said movable handle in normal position, one or more brands, and cam-guided lever mechanism for actuating the brand or brands from the movable handle of the appliance, substantially as specified.

5. In an appliance for marking or branding live sheep and other animals, the combination of a frame having a fixed handle and a movable handle, a set of three brands, one of which occupies a fixed central position to mark the top of the animals nose and the two side brands being movable toward each other to brand or mark the sides of the animals face, and cam-controlled lever mechanism for actuating the side brands from the movable handle of the appliance, substantially as specified.

HENRY VILLIAM POTTER.

Witnesses:

EDWARD WATERS, Jr., lli/ALTER SMYKIE BAYsToN. 

